Of #cannabis and #Lucifer: Yes, we can change the world through Twitter

Regular readers here may have noticed I haven’t been blogging all that much this year.

It’s not because I haven’t had anything to say or have been incapable of writing posts.

I’ve simply been too busy on a campaign in another forum on social media: Twitter.

You need look no further than the president of the United States to see that Twitter has become THE place for people with agendas to reach out to the public, and for everyday people like you and me to respond to them. And to direct our two cents’ worth about issues of the day to politicians, media organizations and the world at large — and, consequently, to effect change, for better and for worse.

It’s also the first place most turn to — including media outlets — for the latest on breaking news stories.

In short, Twitter has become the hub of global communications.

Since November, I’ve been caught up in the battle to get recreational cannabis legalized in Canada. It should have been a slam-dunk: Bill C-45 legalizing pot was passed in the lower House of Commons by a Liberal majority government of elected MPs and kicked upstairs to the unelected Senate (Canadian senators are named to the Senate by prime ministers) for so-called “sober second thought” and affirmation. Traditionally, the Senate would never reject a government bill, especially one that fulfilled a major campaign promise supported by a majority of Canadians, as this one did.

But the Conservative senators were determined to derail the bill, even though they are a minority in the Senate. So they resorted to dirty tricks and delay tactics. Some of them were also very visible with tweets on Twitter, as were senators who supported the legislation.

In short — because I plan to write another post about the Senate process — a Canadian cannabis “community” formed on Twitter that was able to respond to senators and to be heard by them, as well as talk amongst ourselves. In the process, I became friends with one particular Independent senator, and we chatted privately throughout the process.

And, yes, the bill was finally passed in late June, but not without far more partisanship and drama than it should have had. It was an educational experience for many Canadians, to put it politely. More on that in another post (or two).

When all was said and done, though, Twitterites got a shout-out in the Senate by the sponsor of the bill. We had made a difference. We were heard, and our passion was duly noted. Score one for us, and for the power of Twitter.

And — hurray!!!! — score another one for Twitter and fans of the TV show Lucifer.

#WeSavedLucifer!

Yes, I got caught up in the Twitter campaign to save the show after Fox cancelled it. Thousands of us #Lucifans tweeted our fingertips to the bones (almost) with #SaveLucifer and #PickUpLucifer pleas directed at TV networks and streaming services. As you probably know by now, Netflix stepped up and ordered 10 episodes for Season 4.

We did it!!! I’m still so excited about this. And we have been thanked over and over again by series star Tom Ellis and other cast members, who told us “You did this!”

It was a smart business decision for Netflix, of course. The show has a lot of fans around the world. We proved that to them. It is safe to say Netfix will pick up some new subscribers, and Lucifer may very well become the most successful show ever on Netflix. It will be interesting to see where the show’s writers take their scripts in that far more liberal environment.